1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a tape printer having a cartridge installation portion to install a tape cartridge and an opening/closing cover to open/close the cartridge installation portion.
2. Related Art
Conventionally, as such a tape printer, there has been known one having a cartridge installation portion to install a tape cartridge, an opening/closing cover that rotates about a hinge portion to open/close the cartridge installation portion, a rib-shaped projection provided on the opening/closing cover, an engagement lever that engages with the rib-shaped projection and is freely rotatable about a shaft parallel to the hinge portion, and a pressing spring to urge the engagement lever in an engagement direction (see JP-A-2003-237177). In the tape printer, the pressing spring urges the opening/closing cover in a closing direction via the engagement lever and the rib-shaped projection in a state in which the opening/closing cover is closed to get across a prescribed closing-side rotation position, while the pressing spring urges the opening/closing cover in an opening direction via the engagement lever and the rib-shaped projection in a state in which the opening/closing cover is opened to get across the prescribed closing-side rotation position.
In the tape printer described above, since the opening/closing cover is urged in the opening direction when being opened to get across the prescribed closing-side rotation position, it may pop up to the opening side. On the other hand, since the opening/closing cover is urged in the closing direction when being closed to get across the prescribed closing-side rotation position, it may remain closed. Moreover, since the closed opening/closing cover is urged in the closing direction, the rattling of the closed opening/closing cover may be prevented. For example, in a case in which an operation portion such as a function button is provided on the opening/closing cover, the rattling of the opening/closing cover due to the operation of the operation portion is prevented.
However, in the tape printer described above, the closed opening/closing cover is urged in the closing direction. Therefore, in order to open the closed opening/closing cover, there is need to hold the opening/closing cover and lift up the same to the prescribed closing-side rotation position. In addition, since the closed opening/closing cover is urged in the closing direction, a printer main body is also lifted up when the opening/closing cover is lifted up. Therefore, there is need to lift up the opening/closing cover by one hand while holding the printer main body by the other hand. Thus, the tape printer described above suffers from the problem that the opening of the opening/closing cover is complicated.
An advantage of an aspect of the present invention is to provide a tape printer that may facilitate the opening of an opening/closing cover, the tape printer being configured such that the opening/closing cover is opened and urged in a state in which the opening/closing cover is opened to get across a prescribed rotation position and that the opening/closing cover is closed and urged in a state in which the opening/closing cover is closed to get across the prescribed rotation position.